Posts Tagged ‘sour cream’

This spinach dip is not only easy to throw together, but also delicious. This creamy spinach dip has water chestnuts and onion mixed in for some crunch.

Ready for all the college football conference championship games tomorrow? After a rough week for the Buckeyes in spite of the win over Michigan I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the Big Ten game. I suppose the show must go on in spite of the tragic loss of Kosta Karageorge. My thoughts are with his family, biological and Buckeye-family.

With college football season nearing it’s end and pro football still going strong, dips and other snacky foods are in high demand. How about this creamy spinach dip which requires not cooking at all. Just mix and serve! Would be great served in a big bread bowl.

This moist and cheesy corn spoon bread pairs perfectly with your favorite chili or hearty soup, and it couldn’t be easier to make.

Yesterday I gave you a cornmeal pizza crust topped with BBQ chicken and cheese. Today I present to you a corn spoon bread. Two savory recipes in a row, I know it’s unusual but I’m suddenly bursting with savory recipes. I blame football season (not that I am upset about it) and every store throwing fall in my face.

This corn spoon bread gets it’s name because it is so moist that you may needing to eat it with a spoon. Not surprising if you look at the ingredient list: eggs, corn muffin mix, kernel corn, creamed corn, sour cream, butter, and cheese. It is perfect served along side of chili or your favorite hearty soup for fall. Or just chow down on it because there’s no resisting a good corn bread, especially when it is topped with cheese.

It’s the week leading up to Memorial weekend and it’s time to share some recipes to get ready for the first big grilling holiday of the year. But before hitting the grill you gotta think about the side-kicks. Check out my guest post today on Wishes and Dishes to get the recipe for my favorite potato salad made by my dad.

Creamy wild rice and fresh asparagus come together in this baked side dish. Serve it alongside your favorite cut of meat – it’ll go with just about anything.

Let’s talk plastic bags. I try to use reusable shopping bags wherever I go and have already told my story about them confusing retail but not grocery cashiers, yet sometimes they like to wait in the car instead of coming into the store with me. Such occasions result in a double dose of annoyance because not only do I have to get plastic bags but the cashiers have a habit of using excessive amounts of them. Yesterday I had one bag with a single can of black beans and another with just a block of cheese and container of sour cream. Apparently those three items would not get along if placed in the same plastic bag. I understand they don’t want the bags to break but that’s just silly. My milk was also bagged, which is not a light item and conveniently already possesses a handle. This is why I prefer self-checkout. Alas, I will just bring them back for recycling.

In other news (I need a new transition phrase because that one gets used a lot), I made a side dish! They appear so infrequently on this blog that I get excited when there’s one to share. Especially when it is something that pairs so well with a variety of things. Grilled steak? Definitely. BBQ chicken? You bet. I served it with apple jelly-glazed pork chops and it was wonderful. Wild rice and fresh asparagus are mixed together in a creamy sauce, topped with cheddar cheese, and baked until bubbly.

This dip has been on my list of things to make since I first saw it – in January! I unfortunately don’t have the opportunity to make appetizers much since I am typically cooking for one, so the occasions for which I could make this dip were kind of slim. But with the rise of football season, I no longer needed much of an excuse to make it. I even substituted out some of the sour cream for Greek yogurt. It totally makes up for all that cheese and bacon, right? I guess you could use turkey bacon if you’d like. Personally, I prefer the real thing, especially when it plays such a major role.

Traffic court attempt #2 this morning. I’m sure I’ll have some sort of rant ready for you tomorrow.

Guess what? I have money in my bank account again (for now)! First thing I bought? The ingredients for this meal and my shopping list consisted of: cream cheese, enchilada sauce, green chiles, scallions, and tortillas. Yes, that was all I had to buy. I never realized until the past two weeks how stocked my kitchen is before going to the grocery store. And how manydifferent and deliciousthings I could make without leaving home.

But regardless of what your pantry looks like, buy whatever ingredients you do not already have and make this. Very easy to prepare and it cooked while I got ready to meet up with friends for drinks. I definitely took a moment to slow down and enjoy this delicious thing that I put on my plate before going off into the night with a full and happy belly!

Lookie. I put guacamole in a sandwich with chicken and it’s freaking tasty! Not really surprising, since anything with avocado is a dream.

In case you don’t have any bread lying around, you’re in luck because this magically transforms into a dip – perfect with tortilla chips. Yes I ate it both ways. I may have even dipped kettle chips into my sandwich a couple of times while eating it. Don’t judge.

Leftovers didn’t really occur from this meal, it disappeared much too quickly. But avocados are full of “good fat” right?

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (about 1/2 a rotisserie)

2 avocados, peeled and cubed

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

8 slices bacon, crumbled

1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt & pepper, to taste

Mixed salad greens

4 Bagel-thins (I chose the everything ones)

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, avocado, red onion, jalapeno, tomatoes, and bacon; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayo, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic. Stir into the chicken mixture until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve on a toasted bagel-thin with mixed greens (or enjoy as a dip with chips).

I know it may not seem like Brent and I try to eat healthier most of the time, but we really do. We just eat smaller portions of those not-so-healthy dishes, and I take most of my baked goods into work O:-) (where my lab-mates blame me for making them fat – yet they complain when there’s nothing to snack on). But sometimes I make things which contain no pasta (shock!) and minimal cheese (gasp!). What is that green stuff anyway? You call it a sal-lad? I’ll pretend and just call it a steak sandwich without the bun.

In the end there’s no need to convince yourself to eat this, cause it’s awesome! And by marinading overnight, this was a really quick and satisfyingly tasty meal, perfect for a busy weekday.

BLUE CHEESE DRESSING:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream

2 Tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 Tbsp white-wine vinegar

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp chopped scallions

Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Whisk together blue cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Stir in buttermilk, vinegar, parsley and scallions. Season with salt and pepper.

GRILLED STEAK SALAD:

Ingredients:

2 flank steaks

1 bottle of Italian marinade

Fresh salad greens

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Overnight, place the steaks into a large zip-lock bag and add the marinade. Seal and wait 12 hours or more.

Preheat and clean an outdoor grill*. Place steaks on direct high heat, turning once, 4 minutes per side. Do not overcook.

Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes to let the juices settle before slicing against the grain into very thin slices.

Place the sliced meat over fresh salad greens and drizzle the blue cheese dressing over the salad. Season with salt and pepper.

For some reason I wasn’t able to imagine what all these chili ingredients would taste like together. Although I knew it would be tasty, I didn’t realize just how good it really would turn out. I actually wish I had made a double batch, but with how easy and quick it is to make it’s not a pain to make twice! And although it’s already hitting the high 70s and low 80s here in Memphis, TN I don’t think it could ever be too warm outside for this chili. It’s too delicious to say no.

What I may end up doing is making a double batch and freezing half of it. I love freezable meals!

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 -inch cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

1-1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp olive oil

2-15.5 oz cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1-14.5 oz can reduced sodium chicken broth

2-4 oz cans diced green chiles

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

1/2 cup whipping cream

Fresh cilantro and paprika, for garnish

Directions:

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, sauté chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chiles and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; let simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream and whipping cream. Sprinkle with paprika and top with fresh cilantro for garnish, if desired.

Taco Bell, how I love you. No matter what is actually in your products I cannot deny the deliciousness. Being the only fast food restaurant I frequent, you could say it’s a guilty pleasure. Sometimes you want Mexican, and other times you want Taco Bell. This particular day I wanted Taco Bell, but didn’t feel like leaving the house. Talk about lazy fat-kid syndrome. So I decided to re-create one of my favorite burritos, and somehow made it healthier. At least as healthy as meat and cheese can be. And you know what? It was filling and comparably wonderful to the real thing.